The links in this post may be affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission if you buy through these links, at no additional cost to you, which helps me run this blog. Read my disclosure here.
Hey guys! Today I have another ridiculously easy recipe to share with you. This lemony fish and asparagus sheet pan dinner is perfect with spring right around the corner. And the best part? It cooks in just TEN MINUTES, you guys. And the prep time is minimal as well so this dinner from start to finish is less than half an hour.
Fish and Asparagus Sheet Pan
The Asparagus
First off, we start with asparagus. This recipe works better with thicker stalks of asparagus because the thin ones will cook too quickly compared to the fish. When it comes to prepping the asparagus, the main thing (besides washing it) is that you want it to trim off any woodiness at the base. The best way to do this is just by holding it at the base and snapping it off. The base will snap off where the tough part starts.
Once you’ve trimmed your asparagus, toss it with some olive oil and salt, and the zest of one lemon.
My preferred way to zest a lemon is with a Microplane grater like you see above. You just want to get the very outermost layer of the lemon peel. Don’t go down into the white part because it’s bitter. Toss it all up together. And that’s it for the asparagus.
The Fish
Next up is the fish. To season the fish, we’re using lemon, dill, and fennel fronds. If you’ve never heard of fennel fronds, they’re these little green shoots that grow up from fennel bulbs. They look a lot like fresh dill, but have a lovely subtle flavor that complements fish nicely. Generally you’d buy the fronds and the bulbs together. The bulbs are a fantastic addition to salads. That being said, you can leave this out if you want or if you can’t find them where you are.
Whisk together the fennel with some dill, lemon juice, olive oil, and dijon mustard. Then you’re just going to coat your fish filets in it and that’s it.
So let’s talk fish– you can use any mild white fish here. I used flounder because it was on sale, but I think I’d like cod even more. (See below for updated photos where I used cod.) Flounder is very thin, which makes it cook quickly, but it makes it harder to fit as much on the sheet pan.
People can be easily intimidated by fish if they’re not used to cooking it, but it’s really, really easy to prepare this way.
Arrange the asparagus and fish filets on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (I swear by these sheet pans for everything!) Add some lemon slices on top of the fish if you want to be fancy. We’re cooking these hot and fast.
Baking
The flounder was done within five minutes, but the asparagus needed a couple more. Depending on the thickness of your fish fillets, it might take up to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the asparagus as well because you want them to stay crisp in the center.
The best way to tell if your fish is done is to test it with a fork. When the fish is done, it will flake easily with a fork. Once it gets to this point, you don’t want to cook it any further or it will get overdone.
Look at how pretty these are! I love when you can make a gorgeous meal with next to no effort! Plus this recipe is keto, paleo, and whole30 friendly!
You know what would also go great on these? Some herb butter!
Put this lemony fish and aspargus on your menu plan for a night you know you’ll be short on time!
What’s your favorite meal when you’re short on time?
Lemony Fish and Asparagus Sheet Pan
Super easy light meal of fish and asparagus ready in no time!
Ingredients
- 12 oz. (340g) asparagus
- 2 lemons
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 4 filets of mild white fish like cod, flounder, or tilapia
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp fresh fennel fronds, chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Trim the asparagus of any toughness at the end of each stalk. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the zest of one lemon, a generous sprinkling of salt, and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
- Juice the lemon that you took the zest from to get 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Whisk lemon juice with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, dijon mustard, fennel, dill, and generous pinches of salt and pepper.
- Coat each fish fillet in the lemon juice mixture.
Arrange the asparagus and fish fillets in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. - Bake for 5 minutes, then check for doneness. Continue to cook up to another 5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and asparagus is tender-crisp.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 270Total Fat: 8.5gSaturated Fat: 1.3gSodium: 170mgCarbohydrates: 4gNet Carbohydrates: 2gFiber: 2gSugar: 1.8gProtein: 43.2g
